His journey on Australian Idol was cut short despite captivating audiences with his amazing cover of Mamma Mia.
But singer Ripley Alexander sees it as just the beginning of his musical career.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the 20-year-old reflected on his TV experience and revealed his plans to release more music.
‘I had been working on some of my own music before Idol. And look, honestly, I’m really excited that an audience really wants to hear my original music,’ he said.
Ripley’s Idol journey saw him make it through to the Top 12 contestants on the show, where he performed songs by Blondie, Take That, Billy Joel, Shawn Mendes, Charlie Puth, and Imagine Dragons.
Ripley Alexander’s journey on Australian Idol was cut short despite captivating audiences with his amazing cover of Mamma Mia earlier this year
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, he has reflected on his TV experience and revealed his plans to release more music
Despite being eliminated early on, Ripley admitted he couldn’t be more grateful for the Channel Seven show.
‘I’ve wanted to be on one of these shows for as long as I can remember,’ he said.
‘And I finally got on one, and it was everything I hoped for and more. It was great. Honestly, I can say with certainty that was probably the best experience of my life.’
However, he revealed the experience didn’t come without its challenges, adding: ‘I think the hardest part of the journey is keeping it going.’
Despite being robbed of his experience on the singing competition, Ripley couldn’t be more grateful for the Channel Seven show, saying: ‘I’ve wanted to be on one of these shows for as long as I can remember’
‘This is all very new to me, and to be thrust into the spotlight so quickly, it’s daunting but it’s also very exciting.’
Interestingly, Idol wasn’t Ripley’s first attempt at the spotlight.
‘I had applied for The Voice a couple years back,’ he said.
‘So for the past six years I’ve been applying for The Voice and then last year I applied for Idol and then this year obviously Idol again and finally got on.’
The sudden fame hasn’t been without its challenges. ‘I think the hardest part of the journey is keeping it going,’ he revealed
Ripley admitted that his life has transformed dramatically since his time on the show.
‘My life changed overnight honestly. I went from being a nobody who had ever heard my voice before, and within a matter of days, weeks, months, I’ve amassed over 75,000 Instagram followers, 150,000 TikTok followers, and yeah, life has changed.’
Describing his music as ‘a modern spin on a classic sound’, Ripley wants his songs to resonate with people.
‘I get a lot of it just from Harry Styles, Marlon Brando, James Dean, Alain Delon. It’s a bit of 50s, 60s meets the present,’ he explained.
Ripley’s sense of style is as unique as his voice. ‘I get a lot of it just from Harry Styles, Marlon Brando, James Dean, Alain Delon. It’s a bit of 50s, 60s meets the present,’ he explained
He also isn’t afraid to break norms, including painting his nails.
‘I don’t believe that clothing is masculine or feminine, I just wear whatever I feel like wearing, honestly,’ he began.
‘People obviously have their preconceived ideas of painting nails as a guy, wearing jewellery and all that. But I’m comfortable, I’m confident in myself and what I’m doing in terms of how I present myself.
‘Look, what I always say is people’s opinions of me, they’re not really my business.’
Harry Styles (pictured) is a major influence for Ripley. ‘I really like that he’s bringing the cool pop star, rock star back to the forefront,’ he said
Ripley revealed one of his major influences is Harry Styles.
‘I really like that he’s bringing the cool pop star, rock star back to the forefront,’ he said.
‘We had maybe 10, 15 years of no real male icon, for myself at least, I had no real male icon, role model and Harry popped on the scene, you know wearing like feminine clothes, I guess you could say but that for me it made me realise that I could wear and be whoever I wanted to be.’
Growing up, Ripley listened to a lot of R&B, including artists like Craig David, Destiny’s Child, and Guy Sebastian.
However, his own music leans more towards a mix of rock, pop, and R&B.
‘I say two names and it really gives people a great idea. Harry Styles meets Stephen Sanchez meets Hozier.’
Ripley has been prolific in his songwriting, with a backlog of nearly 350 songs.
‘I’ve gone through phases in my life where I’ve written folk music, country music, pop music, R&B, you name the genre, I’ve probably written close to 20 songs per genre.
‘I don’t really keep the songs just for myself, I’d want to branch out, become a songwriter for other people. But yeah, I’d really love to get my own music out first.’
With a stack of original music already in the works, Ripley is about to head off to LA and Nashville to write even more new music.
Stream Ripley’s cover Mamma Mia out now.
With a stack of original music already in the works, Ripley is about to head off to LA and Nashville to write even more new music
